History
The seven families were first named in a document (from the year 1306) in which John II, Duke of Brabant restores and asserts the existing privileges of the seven families after the citizens of Brussels had violently demanded participation in the city's government. The families named in the document are
- Sleeus
- Sweerts
- Serhuyghs
- Steenweeghs
- Coudenbergh
- Serroelofs
- Roodenbeke
All the members of the city council were exclusively recruited and elected from among those families who could prove patrilinear or matrilinear descent from the original seven families. Although tradesmen formed guilds to counter this oligarchical system and in 1421 after violent confrontations gained some rights to participate in the city's government, the rule of the seven houses remained predominant until the end of the Ancien Régime, when these special privileges were abolished. This meant the end of the oligarchical system of the seven nobles houses of Brussels. In French, the Seven nobles houses of Brussels are called 7 lignages de Bruxelles, in Dutch 7 geslachten van Brussel.
Read more about this topic: Seven Noble Houses Of Brussels
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